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Spamalot – Swedish singing waitress wins role in London production

A singing waitress from Sweden has won the role of “the Lady of the Lake” in the London production of Spamalot.

On Saturday 2nd February, in the live final of the Swedish reality TV seriesWest End Star, Nina Söderquist went head-to-head with cruise ship entertainer Linda Holmgren and triumphed by taking over 59 percent of the public vote.

She will join the London cast from Monday 11th February 2008, taking over from Broadway Star Marin Mazzie.

The 35-year-old from Hälsingland, Sweden has performed with bands including Toto and the BeeGees and is also a lieutenant in the Swedish army. During the reality TV competition, she sang winning renditions of show tunes “With One Look” from Sunset Boulevard and “Tonight” from West Side Story as well as the “Diva’s Lament” from Spamalot.

Commenting on her victory, Söderquist said: “I am so happy to have won West End Star … Before I entered West End Star, I had never sung a song from a musical. I had only ever seen one musical my life – Cats as a teenager on a school trip to London.”

Over a 1,000 women took part in open auditions during September and October last year in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo. Over the past few weeks, the five finalists have been rehearsing in London at the Palace Theatre with the cast and crew of Spamalot, while returning to Sweden once each week to face the judges and the viewing public in a live TV sing-off.Spamalot – sets musical theatre back a thousand years!

A new musical lovingly ripped off from the motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot is the new musical directed by oscar winning Mike Nichols, with a book by the third tallest Python, Eric Idle, and an almost but not entirely new score by Eric Idle (No relation) and John du Prez.

Retelling the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and featuring a number of gratuitously scantily clad showgirls, not to mention the cows, killer rabbits and French people.

Please note that Spamalot may be ‘inappropriate for children aged eight years old or under’.